I am so excited! I have been nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards!
When I think about how I got here, I see women who have lifted me up with their expertise and generous sharing of knowledge, and I want to spotlight those incredible people that have stood beside me on this journey.
Today, I am spotlighting Stefanie Daku, Business Account Manager at RBC. From the early days of getting Hire Value Inc. set up properly with the right banking products, Stefanie’s advise has been spot on! She is incredibly quick to respond when I’ve run into banking challenges on everything from US accounts, currency conversion or transfer limits. From our first meeting, Stefanie believed in my vision and supported my growth. I invite you to keep reading and learn more about Stefanie.
Stefanie Daku brings over 7 years of experience in Banking, in several sectors such as wealth management, private banking, retail banking and business financial services. Stefanie works closely with business owners from a wide range of industries and in various stages of starting, managing and growing their business. She is dedicated to establishing and growing long-term business relationships and is passionate about helping others navigate their banking and business needs. In her free time, she can be found biking, reading a new book, testing out new recipes or tackling learning a second language.
Who was the greatest influence in your life?
My mother has been one of the greatest influence in my life. At a young age, she instilled in me self-confidence and an attitude of “you can do anything you put your mind to and work hard at, regardless of where you are”. This was countered with being shown the power of patience (lots!), persistence, and believing in yourself – such that you’re not easily moved when others may doubt you. These were all key to creating my internal drive and motivation that fuels me today. I also can’t thank my grade 2 teacher enough for instilling in me the love of learning and personal development at such a young age, it ignited my curiosity for life, learning and reading!
What book do you recommend?
I don’t think I can choose just one. Like quotes, I collect books. It would be a tie between “Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl” and “Meditations by Marcus Aurelius”.
What are you most grateful for in your life?
Without a doubt it is my health, both physical and mental. Exercise and learning are so important to me. I am grateful each day I can continue to do both of these things!
Why did you choose to be an entrepreneur?
While I can’t say I own my own business, I can say that I approach what I do with an entrepreneurial spirit. I enjoy the ability to bring my own unique approach to what I do and the clients I work with. I thrive on the fact that the space I work in – Business Financial Services – is dynamic and ever-changing, which requires constant learning, innovation, critical thinking and strategic planning. I like the challenges that it brings. That said, I chose to be a Business Account Manager because I find one of the greatest things you can do is serve others. The greatest satisfaction I get is knowing that I have made a difference to others around me. I love working with business owners in particular because of all the amazing talented and innovative people I get to work with, each day I get to be inspired. Knowing that I played a small part in my client’s success or was able to support them through the ups and downs of owning a business is the greatest reward I can think of!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The best piece of advice I received was being told very early on that everything depends on your mindset and attitude; that these are things that you can choose, so choose wisely! Once I realized this truth, it gave me a new approach to life. Often times it’s our mindset that gets in the way of things like our own happiness, what we want or what we think we can do or achieve. I could go on and on about the power of one’s mindset. Ultimately, it was this advice which led to so many other pearls of wisdom as it raised more questions than it answered.
